The present invention relates to a system and method for personal communication generally and more particularly to a wide area network (WAN) based system in which Individual users communicate with call management agents which direct incoming communications in accordance with their personal preferences.
Packet switched networks, such as Wide Area Computer Networks (WAN), in particular the INTERNET network, allow users to communicate multimedia information therebetween. For example, the INTERNET PHONE(trademark), commercially available from VocalTec Inc. of New Jersey, USA enables audio conferencing between two parties using two computer stations connected to the INTERNET and equipped with the INTERNET PHONE(trademark) application. In another application, the conventional telephone network is connected to the WAN by telephony gateways so as to enable using both network based communications and conventional telephony over the WAN.
Generally speaking, state of the art systems enable users to use a large number of communication devices as a communication device in a WANxe2x80x94conventional telephony integrated system. Examples are the INTERNET PHONE(trademark), conventional phone, cell phone, answering machine, facsimile machine, video conferencing equipment, pagers and any application working over the Internet which requires participation of other parties, such as multi-user interactive games. The state of the art systems are deficient in many specs one being that users at present cannot direct incoming calls via the WAN to a device of their own choice.
Another deficiency of current systems exemplified utilizing the example of audio communication is that since telephony and WAN based audio communications are separate the user may not be available, i.e. one of his devices indicates that it is busy while another audio devices he has is actually free and ready to receive audio communications.
According to one aspect, the present invention is a system which enables users communicating via a WAN to direct incoming communications to a device of their choice.
According to another aspect of the invention the incoming communications may be multimedia communications and the recipient can direct them across media types, one non limiting example being receiving a communication originally directed to a white board by the recipient facsimile machine.
According to another aspect, the present invention provides a method which enables users communicating via a WAN to direct incoming communications to a device of their choice.
According to yet another aspect of the invention, the incoming communications may be multimedia communications and the recipient can direct them across media types, one non limiting example being receiving a communication originally directed to a white board by the recipient facsimile machine.
A further object of the present invention is to provide a system which enables users communicating via a WANxe2x80x94conventional telephony integrated network to direct incoming communications to a device of their choice.
Yet a further object of the present invention is to provide a method which enables users communicating via a WANxe2x80x94conventional telephony integrated network to direct incoming communications to a device of their choice.
Yet another object of the present invention to provide a system which enables users communicating via a WANxe2x80x94conventional telephony integrated network to receive audio communications substantially any time through one of their audio communications devices (conventional telephone, cell phone, INTERNET PHONE(trademark)).
Still further, another object of the present invention is to provide a method which enables users communicating via a WANxe2x80x94conventional telephony integrated network to receive audio communications substantially any time through one of their audio communications devices (conventional telephone, cell phone, INTERNET PHONE(trademark)).
According to an aspect of the present invention there is provided a method, in a packet switched network having a plurality of users, each of which employing a plurality of communication devices, for receiving communications in accordance with personal recipient preferences which Includes the following steps;
a. receiving a precommunication request for at least one communication device of the recipient to which the communication should be sent;
b. determining in accordance with a communication receipt preferences of the recipient which communication device or devices should receive the communication; and
c. transmitting an indication to the communication initiator to which communication device or devices the communication should be transmitted.
In the preferred enbodiment, a communication management agent (CMA) of the recipient receives the precommunication request, the recipient communication management agent determines the communication device or devices in accordance to at least the communication receipt preferences stored therein, the CMA indicates to which communication device or devices the communication should be transmitted. Preferably, the communication receipt preferences include which communication device or devices are available for receiving the communication at each time interval from which communication initiators and in which order.
According to the present Invention, the communication may be a single media or a multimedia communication. In a preferred embodiment, in case of a multimedia communication, the communication receipt preferences also including cross media receipt preferences.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the communication receipt preferences may also include redirection of the address to another communication management agent and the method further includes the step of redirecting the address to the another communication management agent.
According to another preferred embodiment, the communication management agent is also operative to identity at any time an available one of the plurality of communication devices operative to communicate the same type of media or a different type of media capable of receiving the communication, whereby the recipient is generally available any time.
In one preferred embodiment, the communication management agent is redirected to one of the communication devices currently used by the user, thereby enabling the user to determine the communication receipt preferences substantially in real time. Alternatively, the communication management agent is remote from the user.
In accordance with yet another preferred embodiment of the present invention, the precommunication request is received from the communication initiator communication devices or from an intermediate device to which any of the call initiator communication devices are connected.
The packet switched network may be a wide area network, the INTERNET wherein the communication management agent resides in a communication management agent server connected to the INTERNET, a local area network or an INTRANET.
In accordance with a preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a communication management agents server (CMAS) connected to a packet switched network, the CMAS including a plurality of communication management agents (CMA) operating in accordance with the methods of the present invention.
In accordance with yet another preferred embodiment of the present invention, there is provided a plurality of communication management agents (CMA) operative in a packet switched network and operative in accordance with the methods of the present invention. In one preferred implementation of the present invention, the CMAs form a directory service of a packet switched network.